, 1887-12-17
INDIAN SNOW DANCE"
SCENE AT STANDING ROCK AGENCY,
FORT YATES, D. T.

had long been wanting to see an In
dian "snow dance" when one Saturday,
after the usual bi-monthly issue of r~ations,
1T was rumored that there was to be an
unusually large one about four miles from
the post. 1t was n clear, cold winter
night, with the mercury standing at
- degs. below zero. The members of
our little party were soon snugly nesting
in the straw at the bottom of a govern
ment sleigh. and we were travelling
oward the dance as fast as four good
mules could draw us.
The dance was held in n low log house,
nbout forty feet long and eighteen feet
wide. We alighted at the door, around
which were gathered quite a crowd of IN
invited spectators. Thu door and windows
were open and the house, which was not
divided into rooms, was lighted by two
kerosene lamps. We entered during a
lull in the festivities. In one end of the
room, squatting on the ground close to
the wall, were thirty-five or forty squaws,
dressed in their usual calico dresses and
wooden shawls. round the walls at the
other end sat the male guests, each with
his blanket or sheet drawn over him. In
one corner of the bucks end of the room
was a tomtom, or Indian drum, around
which were seated just as many old bucks
as could crowd into the little circle. Near
the middle of the room at the squaws'
end was another drum, equally well pro-
vided with musicians. Near these was a
small stove, in which a wrinkled old buck
was keeping up n fire by feeding it with
twigs. We ranged ourselves along the
wall near the door, and, although our en-
rance was noticed by all, they gave no
indication of it 10y look or word.
CADENCE OF THE ToMToMs.
soon after our entrance the old fellows
around the tomtoms began to beat them
with measured cadence, at the same time
accompanying the sound by grooming n
weird song. Suddenly one buck threw off
his sheet, and springing to his feet began
to dance. He was quickly followed by
the others, and in n moment our brains
We're almost whirling at the grotesque
sight. The dancing consisted of a series
of horrible ~contortions of body and face,
accompanied by the most blood curdling
shrieks and yells, the feet, meantime,
keeping accurately the cadence of the
drums. Imagine my surprise when /
noticed that notwithstanding the extreme
cold of the night these men were almost
entirely naked, most of them wearing no
clothing but n wooden b~reechcloth and a
pair Of beaded moccasins. They were
painted in the most striking manner from
head to foot. Each had n headdress or
bonnet of coloyed buffalo hair, with q
fringe of eagle feathers running down the
back. Brass bracelets and anklets and
strings of beds also adorned many of
them. The description of the decorations
of one of them will serve for all.
In addition to the adornments above
mentioned he had a double string of
sleigh bells running from his ankle to a
strap passed around the leg at the knee.
At the small of his back, and attached to
his girdle, was IN immense bunch of long,
colored buffalo hair. His face was painted
saffron yellow, with n large red spot on
either cheek and horizontal red lines run
ming across the forehead. His eyebrows
and the edges of the lids were painted q
dazzling white. His body was red and
his arms and legs were n light blue, with
occasional bands of yellow. In one hand
he brandished n tomahawk, highly orna-
mented with colored horse hair and por-
cupine quilts, and his appearance was
truly hideous as he twisted himself into
almost impossible positions and gave his
blood curdling yell. After the dancing
had been going on for ten or fifteen min
utes the tomtoms ceased and he retired
to his place by the wall and covered his
steaming body with n cotton sheet. He
had probably walked n mile through the
snow with the Thermometer % degs.
below zero, with only that cotton sheet to
protect him from the cold. l have seen
squaws walking through the snow in bare
feet and carrying their moccasins and
stockings in their hands. Each dance
was terminated by the old dime novel
war whoop, which the small boy initiates
by yelling, and at the same tim Nbrat-
ing his hand before his mouth.
THE sQUAws TAKE PART.
Once in every hour the squaws are al
lowed to a part in the dancing while
the bucks rest. They join hands and
form n circle about their tomtom, and
their dancing consists of n series of side
bitches to the left, accompanied by sing
ing. They slowly travel around the circle.
Should any buck come near enough to the
circle, the squaw nearest seizes his hand,
and he is compelled to join the squaw
dance and make his captor n present at its
close.
At intervals during the dance we had
noticed two squaw enter, carrying be-
tween them an iron pot slung on n pole.
The pot was deposited near the stove, and
the squaws disappeared only to repeated
ly return with other similar burdens.
The contents of the pots we discovered
constituted the refreshments. l had the
curiosity to look into one of the pots, and
was Mortified to find it filed with n muddy
liquid out of which was p%rotruding the
grinning head of n good sized dog. II had
been killed by n blow on the head and
thrown as it was into the pot to boil.
Each guest brings with him to the dance
n tin cup with which he helps himself to
the soup ut the proper time.
At these dances the Indians even now
work themselves into n perfect frenzy, and
1t has always been n custom with them to
engage in n dance before going to war or
on the eve of n battle. For this reason
they are allowed to dance only on certain
stated occasions.
1 spoke above of the ornaments of eagle
feathers. These are the half white, half
black feathers from the eagles wings, and
are greatly priced by the Indians, who
consider them ''good medicine" But in
order to be acceptable to the Indian, the
feathers must ave been taken from an
eagle whose blood has not been spilled. In
order to accomplish this, the Indian goes
to n place near some eagles nest and digs
n cylindrical hole in the ground just large
enough to hold him in q standing posi-
ton. He carefully removes all the earth
taken out, and then, placing the bodies of
n few rabbits and birds around the OPEN
ing, he gets into the hole, pulling over
him the grass around the edges in order
TO hide himself as much us possible. He
will remain there sometimes for days at a
time, until an eagle swoops down for the
bait. Then n dusky hand is thrust ont of
tho hole md clutches the Dirdfa Iag md